Upton Lifts D-rays

August 9, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG -- Rookie SS B.J. Upton hit a tiebreaking single in the sixth for his first major-league RBI, and RHP Rob Bell allowed one unearned run in seven innings to lead the Tampa Bay Devil Rays past the Seattle Mariners 5-1. . . . Upton, the Devil Rays' top pick in the 2002 draft, went 2-for-4 after sitting the previous two games. He struggled in his first four games since being called up from Class AAA Durham on Aug. 1, going 2-for-14 with two errors at short. . . . Bell (5-5) gave up six hits, struck out six and walked one for his second win in his last three starts. . . . Seattle 2B Bret Boone singled in the first, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. . . . Devil Rays C Toby Hall got the day off. He has one hit in his last 28 at-bats. . . . Tampa Bay backup C Brook Fordyce singled in the eighth, snapping an 0-for-23 slump. . . . Tampa Bay split the four-game series to complete its season-high 13-game homestand 8-5. Seattle, meanwhile, went 3-11 on a 14-game four-city road trip.